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Track(s) taken from CDA66787

Canzone napolitana – Notturno, S248ii

composer
1842; second version

Leslie Howard (piano)
Recording details: April 1993
Unknown, Unknown
Produced by Tryggvi Tryggvason
Engineered by Tryggvi Tryggvason
Release date: April 1994
Total duration: 4 minutes 33 seconds

Cover artwork: The Relief of the Siege of Vienna (detail) (Anonymous Austrian 17th century).
Heeresgeschichtliches Museum, Vienna
 

Reviews

‘Yet another instalment in what is looming as the most ambitious and splendidly realized recording project of the century which cannot fail to delight and move. Enthusiastically recommended’ (Fanfare, USA)

‘An entertaining programme … providing the perfect vehicle for Leslie Howard's enthusiastic, colourful playing. His scholarship, as revealed in the liner notes, is remarkable, the recording first class’ (CDReview)
The origins of the Canzone napolitana remain a mystery. It seems that the tune is not a folksong, and it clearly has the air of a composed salon piece of some kind. Liszt was not in Italy in the year of its composition, although he had certainly been to Naples earlier and at length, and there are no clues to the work’s provenance in the published correspondence. However, the music is staightforward enough, and delicately laid out for the piano in F sharp major. For some reason, Liszt almost immediately reissued the piece transposed to F major with a few small alterations—especially at the end—under the subtitle ‘Notturno pour piano’ and the description ‘Edition nouvelle. Arrangement élégant’.

from notes by Leslie Howard © 1994

Les origines de la Canzone napolitana restent un mystère; le thème ne ressemble pas à une chanson folklorique mais bien plus à une musique de salon. Liszt n’était pas en Italie pendant l’année de sa composition (bien qu’il ait certainement été à Naples avant cela pendant assez longtemps) et rien ne permet de deviner la provenance de l’œuvre dans la correspondance publiée. Toutefois, c’est une musique assez claire conçue avec délicatesse pour le piano en fa dièse majeur. Pour une raison indéterminée, Liszt republia la pièce presque immédiatement en fa majeur avec quelques petites modifications, surtout à la fin, sous le sous-titre «Notturno pour piano» et avec la description «Edition nouvelle. Arrangement élégant».

extrait des notes rédigées par Leslie Howard © 1994
Français: Jean-Luc Herin

Der Ursprung der Canzone napolitana bleibt ein Rätsel; die Melodie scheint kein Volkslied zu sein, denn es besitzt eindeutig den Charakter eines komponierten Salonstücks. Liszt war in dem Jahr seiner Komposition nicht in Italien gewesen, obgleich er zuvor schon einige Zeit in Neapel verbracht hatte, und in der veröffentlichten Literatur liegen auch keine Hinweise auf ihre Herkunft vor. Die Musik ist jedoch deutlich genug, in Fis-Dur geschickt für das Klavier angelegt. Aus irgendeinem Grund gab Liszt das Stück mit einer Versetzung auf F-Dur und ein paar kleineren Änderungen, vornehmlich am Ende, unter dem Untertitel „Notturno pour piano“ und der Beschreibung „Edition nouvelle. Arrangement élégant“ neu heraus.

aus dem Begleittext von Leslie Howard © 1994
Deutsch: Meckie Hellary

Other albums featuring this work

Liszt: Complete Piano Music
CDS44501/9899CDs Boxed set + book (at a special price) — Download only
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